Spiralised carrot and Fennel Salad – Sprialiser Review

I’m sure you have all heard about the wizzy new(ish) kitchen gadget that cuts vegetables into long noodle like strands – spiralizers, by now. I can’t resist a kitchen gadget so when the fabulous cook shop Steamer Trading asked me to try one I was more than happy to give it a go. Putting it through its paces I made a spiralised orange and fennel salad with a delicious orange, ginger and honey dressing.

Before I go any further, Steamer Trading Cookshop sent me this product free of charge for the purpose of reviewing it but that has not influenced my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never been one to follow diet fads and I would question if any one single food, one type of food, or even one method of cooking is the answer to all our dietary prayers. I strongly believe that a varied diet without too much of any one food and with all foods in moderation is what constitutes a good diet. So, spiralising has never appealed to me solely as a way to eat better or to lose weight – on a no carb diet. I do, however, think the ribbons of food can look pretty in a dish and a new method of cooking and eating vegetables is always a fun idea. And that’s exactly why I have wanted to try it. When asked to review the GEFU Spirelli spiral slicer I was more than happy to do so.

The Spirelli looks rather like a large double ended pencil sharpener. I like the fact that, unlike some spiralisers, it is not too large and can easily fit in a drawer. On the other hand, its size may be considered a downside by some people as it does limit the number of different types of vegetables that it can spiralise. The vegetables need to be small enough to fit into the spiraliser. I found it very successful with courgettes (yes I did manage to get some despite the current shortage), carrots, parsnips and cucumbers. It might work forsmall long sweet potatoes too (I didn’t have any to try) but was not successful with butternut squash.

Basically, in order to use it, you simply peel the vegetable (if required), insert it into the Spirelli and turn. Just like sharpening a pencil. There are two blades that produce slightly different thickness. It comes with a cap to help turn the vegetables but I found this rather difficult to use. I found that the spirelli was probably slightly more wasteful than some other as it leaves a rather large stump of the vegetable un-spirialised at the end in addition to a small central core. I hate food waste, so kept the trimmings to make stock.

Spirialised Carrot and Fennel Salad

So, what to do with the spiralised vegetables?

I decided to make a salad with some spiralised carrots, and I do think they can look tasty and colourful in salads. Opting for a carrot and fennel salad with an orange, ginger and honey dressing. After finely slicing the fennel, I spiralized some carrots and tossed them together in the dressing. The result, I think, is a pretty salad which I would definitely make again.

Having tested the spiraliser with a cucumber, I also tossed that with some spirialsed carrot in the same dressing which made a tasty variation.

The other spiralised vegetables didn’t go to waste either. I blanched them briefly in boiling water and served them with the Easy Oriental Pork which I posted earlier this week.

Verdict

Pros

Fun – produces long colourful strands of vegetables great for salads, stir fries or as a side dish.

Size – small enough to fit in a drawer, which makes it a big plus for me as space in my kitchen is limited.

Easy to use – just like a pencil sharpener!

Cons

Can only be used with a limited number of vegetables.

Quite pricy at £19.99.

Rather wasteful, although you can use the remaining vegetables for other purposes.

Would I buy it?

Yes, I think I would. I often add carrot to salad and spiralised carrot looks so much nicer then grated carrot so I would buy one for that reason alone. The size and ease of storage means this one appeals to me more than larger spiralizers, despite the fact that it limits the number of vegetables you can use it with. I was also surprised by how much I liked the spiralized vegetables as noodles and although I will not be giving up pasta any day soon, I would occasionally substitute spiralized vegetables.

Although you can buy spiralized vegetables in the supermarket I wonder how many vitamins are left. After all, vegetables start to lose vitamins as soon as they are processed, so I would not be tempted to buy ready spiralized vegetables. Making my own this way is a much better option. I think you will probably be seeing some more spiralised vegetables cropping up in future recipes.

This is a lovely salad with a delicious sounding dressing! I am also working on a recipe that uses a spiraliser, will probably be ready to go on the blog by the end of this week or beginning of next. Your spiraliser looks nice and compact, very handy, whereas mine is a big awkward machine which I keep in the cupboard and forget about most of the time. Which is why I don’t use it very often.

I know what you mean about big awkward machines I had already bought one, tried it once in a hurry and abandoned it and it has sat in the cupboard ever since while i wait to get round to trying it. This one is much more compact so the other one will probably go as i need more space. I will have to remember to check out your recipe once you post it would be good to use it again